Snake-like devices/manipulators have a wide variety of uses in various industrial, medical, and general fields for positioning and/or holding objects. However, these devices/manipulators and arms are generally constructed to meet one of two objectives, flexibility or strength. An example of a continuum device may be a continuum manipulator used in the medical field. Continuum manipulators may generally be constructed of a flexible polymer tube, which may be snaked to the desired location bending around obstructions. However, the typical continuum manipulator may have limited strength to maintain a particular position when pushed against an object, such as during drilling, cutting, probing, or the like. Reaction force or other external forces from these operations may cause the typical continuum manipulator to be displaced away from the desired position. This may be particularly problematic in applications requiring high accuracy, such as medical procedures.
In contrast, devices that are constructed to have high strength may be limited in flexibility. For example, articulated arms generally include a plurality of rigid segments with joints. The rigid segments may prevent the snaking utilized by more continuum devices.
Typical gripping or grasping manipulators may be complex and may not morph around an object of interest while preserving the strength of the grip. For instance, a pinch gripper may be simple and have a relatively high strength, but have very limited dexterity and flexibility. More complex grippers may be significantly more physically and computationally complex.
A recent solution utilizes a granular material in a continuum or elastic membrane. The device may be activated, e.g. become stiff or rigid, by applying a vacuum to the membrane causing a jamming effect of the granular material. The device may be when not activated and become rigid when activated. However, the device may be limited by vacuum pressure, require a bulky vacuum system, and require vacuum to be applied continuously when activated.
A gripper utilizing the granular material and a vacuum may have a very high dexterity, but as discussed above, the strength is limited by the vacuum, which must be continuously supplied. Further, the gripper utilizing the granular material and vacuum may also require the bulky vacuum system, which must be again continuously applied when activated.